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Getting 16 month old to cut down

I would love to just let Levi wean on his own eventually, but the fact is I will have to attend a 6 week class, most likely in the summer. I am exempt from the class as long as I am in the language class I am taking currently, but as soon as I finish in June and move on to my next assignment, my new unit where ever that might be will want to send me immediately because I will be way overdue for this class.

Levi currently is nursing about a million times a day. I really don't know exactly, but if I let him nurse every time he asks and we are at the house, it's every 10 minutes. I have started telling him sometimes now that I don't have any milk and I'll just cuddle him, and sometimes that works and sometimes it results in a fit. I feel pretty terrible about it too, because I know he is working on 2 out of 4 of his 1 year molars, but I think I really need to get him to cut down a bit so I can have him down to fewer nursing sessions and eventually get his nursing down to a level that he will be able to handle it when I'm away from him for 6 weeks.

I've thought about night weaning because I think now that he is on Prevacid he is nursing less at night. Is 16 months too early to try nightweaning?

If I am within driving distance of the class, I might be able to come home on weekends, maybe he would still nurse if that was the case??? I am open to the idea of him either weaning or resuming nursing when I'm done with the class. I'm guessing he might not want to nurse if I didn't see him for the whole 6 weeks though. I'm willing to pump while I'm there if I have to. I just have no idea how to even start to wean him, even though I know I have a few months, this is going to be really difficult.

Beth

Exclusively pumped for Lance Oct 07
Nursed until just before he turned 3 Levi Oct 09

Do you have extra milk? Consider donating!http://www.hmbana.org/:
"So I was welcomed by the consolations of human milk; but it was not my mother or my nurses who made any decision to fill their breasts, but you who through them gave me infant food, in accordance with your ordinance and the riches which are distributed deep in the natural order." -St Augustine

Re: Getting 16 month old to cut down

Well in regard to the night weaning he is definitely not too young! He's also not too young to set limits on nursing during the day. Do you want to cut down in the day as well?

I do want to cut down during the day. That's actually easy on weekdays since I'm at work, but harder on weekends when we're home. I spend a lot of my weekends doing school work when I am taking graduate courses (which I start again on Monday), which means I'm sitting down and to Levi that means open buffet. I think I need to make it a point to keep really busy on the weekends so that he is distracted, and do my homework while he sleeps.

The other thing I meant to mention that I'm a bit worried about is what he would have if he doesn't nurse to get him enough fat. We aren't introducing cow's milk yet, because it's a possible suspect in his continued reflux, so if it ends up so he can't have dairy, I don't know what we would give him if he's not nursing.

Beth

Exclusively pumped for Lance Oct 07
Nursed until just before he turned 3 Levi Oct 09

Do you have extra milk? Consider donating!http://www.hmbana.org/:
"So I was welcomed by the consolations of human milk; but it was not my mother or my nurses who made any decision to fill their breasts, but you who through them gave me infant food, in accordance with your ordinance and the riches which are distributed deep in the natural order." -St Augustine

Re: Getting 16 month old to cut down

Okay, so this weekend I've been trying to limit him to nursing only about every 30 minutes (baby steps ) and I feel so awful because he has a molar coming in and it looks like a disaster in his poor little mouth. I really want to get him nursing less, but I don't know how to do it with molars coming in and those dreaded canines surely aren't far behind.

Beth

Exclusively pumped for Lance Oct 07
Nursed until just before he turned 3 Levi Oct 09

Do you have extra milk? Consider donating!http://www.hmbana.org/:
"So I was welcomed by the consolations of human milk; but it was not my mother or my nurses who made any decision to fill their breasts, but you who through them gave me infant food, in accordance with your ordinance and the riches which are distributed deep in the natural order." -St Augustine

Re: Getting 16 month old to cut down

Originally Posted by @llli*Samiha

Okay, so this weekend I've been trying to limit him to nursing only about every 30 minutes (baby steps ) and I feel so awful because he has a molar coming in and it looks like a disaster in his poor little mouth. I really want to get him nursing less, but I don't know how to do it with molars coming in and those dreaded canines surely aren't far behind.

Maybe just give it a couple of days for the molars to break through and then try setting limits. I've been trying to limit Joe's daytime nursing to just naptime when I'm home, and only once in the morning and once in the evening when I'm working. Initially, it was tantrum-city every time I said no, but now he seems to be "getting it." We still nurse at night and around sleep times. The rest of the time, I offer food, a sippy cup, etc. I just say "No, Joe, no milkies right now." Even with his limited language skills, he seems to understand.

(He went through a VERY intensive nursing stage around the time his molars came in. A million times a day. I get you.)

You can call me JoMo!

Mom to baby boy Joe, born 5/4/09 and breastfed for more than two and a half years, and baby girl Maggie, born 7/9/12.

Re: Getting 16 month old to cut down

Yeah, I might try to wait a couple days. I'm just worried that if I have to wait every time he has teeth coming in I am never going to get him down to nursing less. And the canines are even worse than the molars from what I remember, so I'm not seeing any light at the end of the tunnel. I just need him to be prepared for if I have to leave him for a bit in the summer.

Beth

Exclusively pumped for Lance Oct 07
Nursed until just before he turned 3 Levi Oct 09

Do you have extra milk? Consider donating!http://www.hmbana.org/:
"So I was welcomed by the consolations of human milk; but it was not my mother or my nurses who made any decision to fill their breasts, but you who through them gave me infant food, in accordance with your ordinance and the riches which are distributed deep in the natural order." -St Augustine

Re: Getting 16 month old to cut down

Originally Posted by @llli*Samiha

Yeah, I might try to wait a couple days. I'm just worried that if I have to wait every time he has teeth coming in I am never going to get him down to nursing less. And the canines are even worse than the molars from what I remember, so I'm not seeing any light at the end of the tunnel. I just need him to be prepared for if I have to leave him for a bit in the summer.

I guess what I was thinking is that there are two issues - one is the teething, which right now is taking center stage, and the second issue is Levi's love of nursing generally. Once you get past the worst of the teething, you can focus on working with Levi to help him find nourishment and comfort in other ways. Right now it's too hard. And then, hopefully, by the time those canines are popping through, you have more tools for dealing with it than just nursing?

You can call me JoMo!

Mom to baby boy Joe, born 5/4/09 and breastfed for more than two and a half years, and baby girl Maggie, born 7/9/12.

Re: Getting 16 month old to cut down

Originally Posted by @llli*joe.s.mom

I guess what I was thinking is that there are two issues - one is the teething, which right now is taking center stage, and the second issue is Levi's love of nursing generally. Once you get past the worst of the teething, you can focus on working with Levi to help him find nourishment and comfort in other ways. Right now it's too hard. And then, hopefully, by the time those canines are popping through, you have more tools for dealing with it than just nursing?

True. I think this week we will try to be very busy, because I think as long as we are out and about he forgets about the teething. Maybe the week after I can work on being home and getting him to cut down in our "natural environment."

Beth

Exclusively pumped for Lance Oct 07
Nursed until just before he turned 3 Levi Oct 09

Do you have extra milk? Consider donating!http://www.hmbana.org/:
"So I was welcomed by the consolations of human milk; but it was not my mother or my nurses who made any decision to fill their breasts, but you who through them gave me infant food, in accordance with your ordinance and the riches which are distributed deep in the natural order." -St Augustine

Re: Getting 16 month old to cut down

Yeah, do whatever works, right away. Then you're kind of in a choose-your-battles sitch. Like, assess the situation, make a decision, and stick to it, whether it's nursing or not nursing at that moment.

ETA: I posted something similar a while back, and DJ's mom helped me see things more clearly. She said, eliminate the "boredom" feedings. But keep nursing when you feel there is a real "need." Pain, emotional suffering, etc. But many of Joe's sessions were just boredom sessions. I needed to put some effort into finding other ways to keep him happy and occupied.

You can call me JoMo!

Mom to baby boy Joe, born 5/4/09 and breastfed for more than two and a half years, and baby girl Maggie, born 7/9/12.